Many hotel rooms are already booked for early February when Atlanta will be in the spotlight as host for the 53rd Super Bowl in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Photo: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

See that bright, shining light in the distance? That’s the Super Bowl of 2019, heading straight for Atlanta. It will take a while to get here — on Feb. 3, to be exact — but the excitement is already building. And there’s so much preparation and anticipation filling the coming months.

Join us at ajc.com/53 as we bring you everything Super Bowl. We’ll tell you about the entertainment, how to get tickets, how to volunteer, where to stay and, of course, cover the whole reason for all of the action, the upcoming NFL season.

We kick things off with a special edition of our accessAtlanta podcast as host Shane Harrison and music writer (and lifelong football fan) Melissa Ruggieri talk about what to expect as the big game heads our way.

The AJC’s weekly accessAtlanta podcast brings you the stories that make our eclectic city one of a kind. Go with us behind the scenes for interviews with the people who create movies, music and art that’s making waves around the world. We’ll share some fun things to do in Atlanta over the next 10 days, too.

Want to snag a 50-yard-line club seat and entry to the three-hour pregame at the Georgia World Congress Center?

Want to find us on your phone?

iPhone: Open “Podcasts” - it’s a preloaded app on iPhones, with a purple icon - and click the search button in the lower right-hand corner. Type “accessAtlanta” and tap on the show’s title in the results. Tap again on the show’s icon. You’ll find all of the previous episodes available to listen to, and be sure to hit subscribe to have the podcast automatically delivered to your phone every Thursday morning.

Android: Open “Play music” - a pre-loaded app with an orange-and-yellow icon - and click on the magnifying glass at the top of the screen. Type “accessAtlanta” and select our show from the results. You’ll find all of the previous episodes available to listen to, and be sure to hit subscribe to have the podcast automatically delivered to your phone every Thursday morning.